Full speed ahead

Published 8:00 pm, Wednesday, April 8, 2009

For Great Lakes Loons' President and General Manager Paul Barbeau, the challenge always is to provide affordable family entertainment and keep things fresh and exciting.

This season, though, Barbeau faces a whole new challenge - how to do it during difficult economic times.

Barbeau admitted that the economy is a concern as the 2009 Midwest League season nears. At the same time, he's not losing sleep worrying about what effect it will have on attendance.

"We think about (attendance) all the time. Attendance and ticket sales are the driving force in our organization," he said. "I don't want to say I worry about it, but we are working all the time to make sure people want to come out (to Loons' games).

"There are a lot of factors we can't control, like the weather, the economy, and team performance," he added. "I don't worry about factors we can't control. I'm more concerned about things we can control, and that's the product we offer."

Toward that end, Barbeau said he spent a lot of time over the winter contacting ticket package holders to get their feedback. He said what he has heard has been encouraging.

"I've been really pleased to hear that people feel great about the ballpark and about the customer service and the entertainment and the employees we have here," he noted. "People have been really enthusiastic about the product we have here."

Still, Barbeau is aware that a floundering economy may result in a downturn in ticket sales, and he said some companies have already notified the Loons that they will not be renewing their ticket packages this year. He also said the team is still selling ticket packages, so he is not sure yet whether there will be a marked decrease in overall packages purchased.

He added that group ticket sales seem to be as healthy as ever so far.

"Our group sales are treading equal to or maybe even higher than last year," he noted.

Barbeau emphasized that attending a Loons' game is still much more affordable than heading to Comerica Park for a Detroit Tigers' game or going out of town for a family vacation.

"What we stress both to households and to companies is that there's nowhere else you can get this kind of value either for a family budget or for a corporate budget," he noted, adding that he hopes people on limited budgets will view the Loons as an affordable entertainment alternative. "I think we have some possibility to benefit from (the struggling economy)."

While low ticket prices are a big part of minor league baseball's appeal, Loons' reserved box tickets have gone up this season from $8.50 to $9.

Ticket packages also increased by 50 cents per seat, per game, while lawn tickets remain at $6.

Barbeau explained the price increase for stadium seats by noting that the cost of doing business has risen for the Loons.

"Our focus is always on making sure we're providing affordable family entertainment. We don't take any price increase lightly," he said. "But we looked at the demand for those (stadium) tickets, and they are in high demand. They sell out at a high percentage.

"And we have an increasing cost of doing business," he added. "Minimum wage goes up and expenses for a variety of things go up, and we still have to make sure we're delivering on our mission. We felt OK with putting a small increase on a high-demand area and leaving the lawn tickets the same."

At the same time, Barbeau said the team is looking to give fans a break from pricey concessions at Dow Diamond, which has been a source of frustration for some fans. One of the team's new promotions this season will be "Dollar Feast Nights" on Tuesdays, during which hot dogs, 12-ounce soda pops, and ice cream sandwiches will be only $1.

Another promotion the Loons have added for 2009 is a series of six home games during which the team will celebrate the Detroit Tigers' 1984 World Series championship. Three of those games will feature giveaways of Jack Morris, Kirk Gibson, and Chet Lemon bobbleheads. The other three games will include appearances by members of the 1984 Tigers, with Dan Petry, Milt Wilcox, and Willie Hernandez tentatively scheduled to be in town.

"We're really trying to connect to people's love for the Tigers," Barbeau noted. "Even though we're an affiliate of the Dodgers, and we're proud of our affiliation with the Dodgers, we understand that our fan base is primarily also Tigers' fans."

Also new this season is the "Grass Pass," a $60 package which can be used for 10 lawn tickets for any game(s) in any combination.

Barbeau added that the Loons are still very excited to be part of the Los Angeles Dodgers' organization.

"The relationship has been very, very good in a lot of ways," he said. "The players have become a part of the community while they're here, and the coaching staff has represented the Loons in a positive way; they've been devoted to community outreach in a lot of ways. The Dodgers have been fantastic partners."

However, Barbeau added, the Loons would like to see their parent team provide better players for its Class A affiliate. He noted that fans have voiced their frustration over the Loons' on-field performance, and that concern hasn't gone unnoticed.

"A lot has been said and written about the team's performance, and we shared that concern and delivered that message to the Dodgers," Barbeau said. "When we extended our relationship with them (last summer), we tried to make it clear that the fans and the community deserve a better product on the field."

Barbeau seemed confident that the Dodgers will deliver on their end of the bargain.

"I know the leadership (of the Dodgers) is focused on competitiveness for the Loons," he said. " … I think they will make a sincere effort to recognize what kind of team you need to compete in the Midwest League. I would expect a more competitive team (this year)."

The bottom line, Barbeau said, is that when fans support the Loons, the community wins.

"We feel really good about where we're at. We're always thinking about our mission, and it's really about making an economic impact in the region and making charitable contributions to a variety of nonprofits," he said, noting that the Michigan Baseball Foundation gave out over $100,000 to charitable organizations last week.

" … Our ability to have that impact is driven by how much people support our product, which is Loons' games."